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System and method for generating an internet-based mall portal

System and method for generating an internet-based mall portal description/claims

The present invention relates to systems and methods for providing network services, and in particular to systems and methods for providing an Internet-based mall portal.

The concept of providing a web-based mall portal is known in the art. For example, www.mytriggers.com is a web-based mall portal that provides access through Internet links to a number of merchant and service provider web sites, such as Amazon.com, Dell.com and BestBuy.com. Such sites often include a list of merchants and service providers that can be accessed through the mall portal, and generally a mall site divides available services and merchandise up into categories and/or store names to allow customers easier navigation through the mall. Web based mall portals can be very profitable to the site owner (i.e., “affiliate”), since by providing access to a large number and variety of service providers and merchants, such malls have the potential to attract a wider range of potential customers browsing the Internet for a particular item or service.

Online mall portals earn revenue through placement of advertisement links on pages leading to merchants. Such revenue may be derived by, for example, sharing in transactions that occur after users follow links to merchant/service provider sites from the mall portal, receiving payment for every click leaving the mall through an advertising link placed within the mall, or receiving advertising revenue paid on a cost per thousand impressions (CPM) or sponsorship basis. In order to be approved by merchants and service providers to build and develop an online mall, one requires a significant amount of pre-existing site traffic, which becomes a barrier to entry, particularly for non-profit organizations, charities and small business entities wishing to become direct affiliates of the merchants and service providers.

Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for generating a web-based mall portal that provides the advantages of conventional mall portals in providing a full selection of merchant store links and generating revenue for both the merchants/service providers accessible through the mall and the affiliate mall being used. Many potential affiliates do not have either the critical mass of traffic, nor do they have the resources to develop an Internet mall, posing two significant barriers to development of a successful mall portal.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method for providing an Internet-based mall portal for an affiliate that provides access to at least one of merchant web sites and service provider web sites, where the merchant web sites and the service provider web sites are accessible through at least one of merchant information pages and service provider information pages within the mall which are at least partially co-branded with the affiliate, comprises the steps of: receiving a request from the affiliate for a mall web site that provides access to the at least one of the merchant web sites and service provider web sites through the at least one of the merchant information pages and service provider information pages; generating the mall web site; providing the affiliate with administrative access to the mall web site; and providing credit to the affiliate for revenue generating activities conducted at the at least one of the merchant web sites and service provider web sites as a result of access of the at least one of the merchant web sites and service provider web sites though the at least one of the merchant information pages and service provider information pages provided at the mall web site.

In at least one embodiment, the step of receiving a request from the affiliate comprises receiving from the affiliate information regarding one or more of the following: a name of the mall, a URL for the mall, an affiliate logo, the affiliate's identifying information, and a list of merchants to be included in the mall.

In at least one embodiment, the step of providing administrative access to the mall web site comprises providing the affiliate with a login ID.

In at least one embodiment, the step of generating a mall web site comprises providing a search engine that allows shoppers to search for at least one of merchants, products and services in the mall.

In at least one embodiment, the step of generating a mall web site comprises providing coupons, discounts, information and offers to shoppers for display and use on the merchant information pages and service provider information pages.

In at least one embodiment, the step of providing credit to the affiliate comprises tracking user site activity.

In at least one embodiment, the tracked user site activity is access to merchant web sites and service provider web sites through the merchant information pages and service provider information pages.

In at least one embodiment, the user site activity is tracked using an internal tracking server.

In at least one embodiment, the user site activity is tracked using an external third-party tracking server.

In at least one embodiment, the user site activity is tracked using a server of the merchant or service provider providing credit.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a computer readable medium has computer executable instructions for performing a method for providing an Internet-based mall portal for an affiliate that provides access to at least one of merchant web sites and service provider web sites, where the merchant web sites and the service provider web sites are accessible through at least one of merchant information pages and service provider information pages within the mall which are at least partially co-branded with the affiliate, the method comprising: receiving a request from the affiliate for a mall web site that provides access to the merchant web sites and the service provider web sites; generating the mall web site; providing the affiliate with administrative access to the mall web site; and providing credit to the affiliate for revenue generating activities conducted at the merchant web sites and service provider web sites as a result of access of the merchant web sites and service provider web sites though the merchant information pages and service provider information pages provided at the mall web site.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a system for providing an Internet-based mall portal for an affiliate that provides access to at least one of merchant web sites and service provider web sites through at least one of merchant information pages and service provider information pages within the mall which are at least partially co-branded with the affiliate, comprises: a mall portal request system that receives a request from the affiliate for a mall web site that provides access to the merchant web pages and the service provider web pages; a mall web site generator that generates a mall web site based on the request received by the mall portal request processor; a mall portal access system that provides the affiliate with administrative access to the mall web site; and an affiliate credit system that provides credit to the affiliate for site user activities.

In at least one embodiment, the site user activities comprises activities that generate revenue as a result of access of the merchant web sites and service provider web sites though the merchant information pages and service provider information pages provided at the mall web site.

In at least one embodiment, the revenue generating activities comprise one or more of the following: cost per thousand impressions (CPM) ad revenue, cost per click (CPC) ad revenue and commission on purchase of merchandise or services at the merchant web sites and service provider web sites.

In at least one embodiment, a computer system for providing an Internet-based mall portal for an affiliate that provides access to at least one of merchant web sites and service provider web sites through at least one of merchant information pages and service provider information pages within the mall which are at least partially co-branded with the affiliate, comprises at least one processor, and a computer-readable memory operatively connected to the at least one processor, with instructions capable of performing steps comprising: receiving a request from the affiliate for a mall web site that provides access to the merchant web sites and the service provider web sites; generating the mall web site; providing the affiliate with administrative access to the mall web site; and providing credit to the affiliate for revenue generating activities conducted at the merchant web sites and service provider web sites as a result of access of the merchant web sites and service provider web sites though the merchant information pages and service provider information pages provided at the mall web site.

These and other features of this invention are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of this invention.

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